Effect of acellular nerve scaffold containing human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells on nerve repair and regeneration in rats with sciatic nerve defect

Abstract

Background:The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of acellular nerve scaffold (ANS) containing human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) on nerve repair and regeneration in rats with sciatic nerve defect.Methods: Sciatic nerve trunks were removed from 6 female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats, and ANS was prepared by lyophilization + enzymatic method and divided into A, B, C, D and E groups according to different treatment times. hUC-MSCs were isolated from the collected umbilical cords and cultured, and then ANS-hUC-MSCs complexes were made. The other 24 adult female SD rats were randomly divided into the control, autograft, ANS, and ANS-hUC-MSCs groups, and a rat model of sciatic nerve defect was established. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, Luxol fast blue (LFB) staining, Masson staining, and scanning electron microscopy were used to observe the morphology and tissue structure of ANS. The performance of ANS was evaluated by mechanical detection, and hydroxyproline (HYP) content was evaluated using a biochemical kit. Flow cytometry was adopted to detect the levels of hUC-MSCs surface antigens CD29, CD44, and CD34, as well as electrophysiological detection and muscle wet weight recovery rate for measuring rat muscle performance.Results: ANS was prepared according to group A method and had good mechanical properties, with less residues of cells and myelin, and higher HYP content, indicating that this scaffold had the best performance.ANS-hUC-MSCs significantly reduced myelin injury in the sciatic nerve, and increased axonal regeneration, effectively improving sciatic nerve injury in rats. In addition, ANS-hUC-MSCs significantly increased compound muscle action potential (CMAP), nerve conduction velocity (NCV), and muscle wet weight, and reduced muscle atrophy.Conclusions: ANS containing hUC-MSCs can promote nerve repair and regeneration in rats with sciatic nerve defects.

Comprehensive ex vivo and in vivo preclinical evaluation of novel chemo enzymatic decellularized peripheral nerve allografts

“…Furthermore, no significant differences were found among the DPNAs studied. These results agree with most articles in which better muscle trophism was obtained in animals treated with nerve autografts than bioengineered nerve substitutes ( Debski et al, 2021 ; Yu et al, 2021 ) and DPNAs ( Zheng et al, 2014 ; Chato-Astrain et al, 2020b ; Qian et al, 2022 ).…”

Biodegradable nanofiber coated human umbilical cord as nerve scaffold for sciatic nerve regeneration in albino Wistar rats

“…The hUCMSCs could reduce or block MHC class II expressions on vascular endothelial cell surface in cardiac allografts and decrease proinflammatory cytokines IL2 and IFN-γ, enhance anti-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL10 and TGF-β1 expression in vivo. The soluble factors secreted by hUC-MSC have immunoregulatory effects as well [22 ]. For more than a decade there are several attempts exploring the use of umbilical cord as a graft for clinical application.…”

“…A novel method using lyophilization and enzymes to prepare Acellular Nerve Scaffold (ANS) was effective in removal of cells, myelin and and maintain the integrity and mechanical properties of nerve fiber than the traditional methods. The combination of hUC-MSCs with ANS promotes repair and regeneration of the sciatic nerve SD animal model [ 20,22 ]. In another similar studies Tonsils derived Mesenchymal stem cells (T-MSCs) were differentiated to Schwann cells in vitro.…”

HucMSCs Delay Muscle Atrophy After Peripheral Nerve Injury Through Exosomes by Repressing Muscle-Specific Ubiquitin Ligases

“…Existing studies have indicated that certain miRNAs, such as miR-23a, can alleviate muscle atrophy by reducing the mRNA levels of MuRF1 and MuRF2. 33 Human umbilical cord MSCs alleviate muscle atrophy caused by conditions such as diabetes, 34 age-associated sarcopenia, 35 nerve defect, 36 Huntington’s disease, 37 and ischemic. 38 Currently, there are few studies on the use of human umbilical cord MSCs and their derived exosomes for the treatment of muscle atrophy following nerve injury.…”